Perhaps it’s not quite true to label the Red Bull RB19 a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. Formula 1’s trip to Singapore proved that the car is indeed fallible: the bumps and staccato corners of the Marina Bay street circuit finally pushed the current performance benchmark beyond its incredibly wide operating window.
That weekend was unlike the end of the McLaren MP4/4’s winning streak at Monza in 1988, which came about through bad luck and poor judgement – engine trouble eliminated Alain Prost before Ayrton Senna then stumbled over Williams substitute Jean-Louis Schlesser. In Singapore the RB19 lost its 100% record when its inherent shortcomings were exposed. But it’s by zeroing in on these scarce weak spots that the car’s – for the most part – brilliance can be appreciated.
The Singapore lap is typified by short 90-degree corners and aggressive kerbs. To conquer these in a period of ground effect and spending restrictions, which compel protecting expensive and complex carbon floors, entails jacking up the ride height. The resulting loss
